6 of the Most Effective Anti-Aging Ingredients
Want to age gorgeously? With our guide to the skincare ingredients scientifically proven to bring results, time is on your side like never before.
Photo: PeopleImages/istock
Retinoids
Why You Want Them
These vitamin A derivatives encourage the skin to generate collagen, increase cell turnover, and reduce hyperpigmentation (dark spots). They also help protect against free radicals—molecules that damage healthy skin cells, causing wrinkles, discoloration, and dullness, says Annie Chiu, MD, a dermatologist in Redondo Beach, California.
Aliases
With a prescription: tretinoin, tazarotene, and adapalene. Over the counter: retinaldehyde, retinol, retinyl palmitate, or encapsulated retinol, which allows the ingredient to be released slowly, resulting in less irritation.
Best Practices
A retinoid can cause redness and flaking, so apply only a pea-size amount. Use it every third night till your skin becomes accustomed to it, says Deborah Sarnoff, MD, clinical professor of dermatology at NYU School of Medicine. Once the irritation subsides, try it every other night; after a couple of weeks, if you’re not flaking, apply nightly.
When You'll See Results
With a prescription retinoid, your skin should show improvement in about six to eight weeks, says Sarnoff. An over-the-counter retinol can take up to six months.
Insider Tips
Don’t apply to damp skin; that can worsen irritation. For dry skin, layer a moisturizer over the retinoid. Stop use a few days before waxing or other aesthetic treatments.
Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs)
Why You Want Them
These natural acids, derived from fruit, sugarcane, or milk, dissolve the bonds between the dead cells that accumulate on the outer layer of the skin, allowing them to be exfoliated. AHAs also accelerate cell renewal and have been shown to reduce fine lines, discoloration, and roughness, so your complexion can reflect light and look more radiant. They can also help skin retain moisture.
Aliases
Malic, lactic, citric, tartaric, and glycolic acid.
Best Practices
Use an at-home peel or peel pads once or twice a week if your skin can tolerate it (always test a small area on your face first). You can use an AHA lotion or cream daily, but be sure to also apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen: Exfoliation exposes fresh skin, which is especially vulnerable to UVA and UVB rays.
When You'll See Results
Glowy skin almost immediately.
Insider Tips
Couple an AHA in the morning with a retinoid in the evening; the AHA helps the retinoid penetrate.
Antioxidants
Why You Want Them
Antioxidants neutralize damaging free radicals and help reduce inflammation; some can help skin generate collagen.
Aliases
Vitamin A, vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid), vitamin E (tocopherol), green tea, resveratrol, coenzyme Q10, idebenone, and phloretin.
Best Practices
Antioxidants—particularly vitamins C and E— can offer additional UV protection, says Randy Schueller, a cosmetic chemist and cofounder of the Beauty Brains blog. In the morning, layer an antioxidant serum with vitamin C or E under your moisturizer and sunscreen. In the evening, try a lotion containing resveratrol or coenzyme Q10 over a retinoid.
Inside Tip
Antioxidants lose potency when exposed to air and light, so they’re often packaged in an opaque, airtight pump, says cosmetic chemist Ni’Kita Wilson. A vitamin C serum is most effective if it has a low pH; it should make your skin tingle for a few minutes after you apply it.
Hyaluronic Acid (HA)
Why You Want It
HA is made up of sugar molecules; when applied to the skin, it sits on the surface (the molecules are typically too large to be absorbed), where it draws in water, hydrating and protecting the skin barrier, says Jessica Weiser, MD, of New York Dermatology Group. An interesting development: HA can now be manufactured in smaller particles (called hydrolized HA) that can penetrate the skin’s outer layers, so cells can absorb moisture, says Wilson. The benefit? Hydrated cells function better.
Aliases
Hyaluronan, sodium hyaluronate, and hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid.
Best Practices
Use a cream or lotion containing HA whenever your skin feels parched. You’ll see immediate plumping and smoothness.
Insider Tip
Apply HA products after serum or lotion with an AHA, so the lighter products can penetrate.
Glycerin
Why You Want It
Like HA, glycerin is a humectant that draws water to the skin. It creates a protective barrier that helps skin heal, making it excellent for treating eczema, severe chapping, and irritation.
Insider Tip
A product with a high level of glycerin can feel tacky on the skin.
Ceramides and Peptides
Ceramides are lipids naturally found in the skin that can strengthen its barrier function and protect it from irritants like pollution. Peptides are made up of amino acids, the basic building blocks of proteins, and can help boost collagen production, says Sarnoff.
Why You Want Them
These vitamin A derivatives encourage the skin to generate collagen, increase cell turnover, and reduce hyperpigmentation (dark spots). They also help protect against free radicals—molecules that damage healthy skin cells, causing wrinkles, discoloration, and dullness, says Annie Chiu, MD, a dermatologist in Redondo Beach, California.
Aliases
With a prescription: tretinoin, tazarotene, and adapalene. Over the counter: retinaldehyde, retinol, retinyl palmitate, or encapsulated retinol, which allows the ingredient to be released slowly, resulting in less irritation.
Best Practices
A retinoid can cause redness and flaking, so apply only a pea-size amount. Use it every third night till your skin becomes accustomed to it, says Deborah Sarnoff, MD, clinical professor of dermatology at NYU School of Medicine. Once the irritation subsides, try it every other night; after a couple of weeks, if you’re not flaking, apply nightly.
When You'll See Results
With a prescription retinoid, your skin should show improvement in about six to eight weeks, says Sarnoff. An over-the-counter retinol can take up to six months.
Insider Tips
Don’t apply to damp skin; that can worsen irritation. For dry skin, layer a moisturizer over the retinoid. Stop use a few days before waxing or other aesthetic treatments.
Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs)
Why You Want Them
These natural acids, derived from fruit, sugarcane, or milk, dissolve the bonds between the dead cells that accumulate on the outer layer of the skin, allowing them to be exfoliated. AHAs also accelerate cell renewal and have been shown to reduce fine lines, discoloration, and roughness, so your complexion can reflect light and look more radiant. They can also help skin retain moisture.
Aliases
Malic, lactic, citric, tartaric, and glycolic acid.
Best Practices
Use an at-home peel or peel pads once or twice a week if your skin can tolerate it (always test a small area on your face first). You can use an AHA lotion or cream daily, but be sure to also apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen: Exfoliation exposes fresh skin, which is especially vulnerable to UVA and UVB rays.
When You'll See Results
Glowy skin almost immediately.
Insider Tips
Couple an AHA in the morning with a retinoid in the evening; the AHA helps the retinoid penetrate.
Antioxidants
Why You Want Them
Antioxidants neutralize damaging free radicals and help reduce inflammation; some can help skin generate collagen.
Aliases
Vitamin A, vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid), vitamin E (tocopherol), green tea, resveratrol, coenzyme Q10, idebenone, and phloretin.
Best Practices
Antioxidants—particularly vitamins C and E— can offer additional UV protection, says Randy Schueller, a cosmetic chemist and cofounder of the Beauty Brains blog. In the morning, layer an antioxidant serum with vitamin C or E under your moisturizer and sunscreen. In the evening, try a lotion containing resveratrol or coenzyme Q10 over a retinoid.
Inside Tip
Antioxidants lose potency when exposed to air and light, so they’re often packaged in an opaque, airtight pump, says cosmetic chemist Ni’Kita Wilson. A vitamin C serum is most effective if it has a low pH; it should make your skin tingle for a few minutes after you apply it.
Hyaluronic Acid (HA)
Why You Want It
HA is made up of sugar molecules; when applied to the skin, it sits on the surface (the molecules are typically too large to be absorbed), where it draws in water, hydrating and protecting the skin barrier, says Jessica Weiser, MD, of New York Dermatology Group. An interesting development: HA can now be manufactured in smaller particles (called hydrolized HA) that can penetrate the skin’s outer layers, so cells can absorb moisture, says Wilson. The benefit? Hydrated cells function better.
Aliases
Hyaluronan, sodium hyaluronate, and hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid.
Best Practices
Use a cream or lotion containing HA whenever your skin feels parched. You’ll see immediate plumping and smoothness.
Insider Tip
Apply HA products after serum or lotion with an AHA, so the lighter products can penetrate.
Glycerin
Why You Want It
Like HA, glycerin is a humectant that draws water to the skin. It creates a protective barrier that helps skin heal, making it excellent for treating eczema, severe chapping, and irritation.
Insider Tip
A product with a high level of glycerin can feel tacky on the skin.
Ceramides and Peptides
Ceramides are lipids naturally found in the skin that can strengthen its barrier function and protect it from irritants like pollution. Peptides are made up of amino acids, the basic building blocks of proteins, and can help boost collagen production, says Sarnoff.
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